Journal of infection in developing countries
-
Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging arbovirus of the Flaviviridae family and is related to dengue, Chikungunya, West Nile, yellow fever, and Japanese encephalitis viruses. ZIKV was first discovered in Uganda in 1947. Different species of mosquito from the Aedes genus, mainly A. aegypti and A. albopictus are the vectors responsible for ZIKV infection in humans. ⋯ However, all this is set to change with its rapid spread in the Western hemisphere and suspected complications particularly microcephaly in newborn babies with ZIKV infected mothers. ZIKV is expected to substantially add to both short-term and long-term economic burden of the effected countries. Due to the large number of people travelling across the borders and some reported cases of transmission of ZIKV via contaminated blood, screening and identification of asymptomatic infected individuals are important.
-
J Infect Dev Ctries · Mar 2016
Respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus in severe lower respiratory tract infections in children under two.
Viruses are the most important causative agents of acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRTIs), ranked as the second leading cause of death and the primary cause of hospitalization in children. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV) are among the commonest viral causes of severe ALRTI. In this study, we aimed to study the burden of both RSV and hMPV in causing severe ALRTI in children younger than two years of age admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). ⋯ RSV is important viral cause of severe ALRTIs in children younger than two years of age during this study period; hMPV played a minor role.